“Maybe I can get a consultation with Him.”

Rick placed his hand on his friend’s forehead and said, “I’m praying for you, bro.”

He followed the men back into the clinic and found Ozzy standing next to his cot. He clutched the IV stand like his life depended on it. Sweat poured down his face, and his arms quivered, making the IV stand rattle against the tile floor. “I’m not lying down. I’ll sit.”

“There’s no room for you in the back, anyway. I need you to sit in the cab.” Rick walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “But you should let them put you on a stretcher to carry you out. I’m not a fan of you putting any weight on that leg.”

“Like you read my mind, Daddy,” Ozzy whispered. He collapsed onto the cot and gripped the side of it, bowing his head. A drop of sweat dripped from his forehead onto his leg. “This isn’t good.”

Rick sat across from him and leaned his elbows on his knees. “What can I do?”

Ozzy shook his head. “Get me that bucket. Fast.”

Rick grabbed the plastic bucket and met Doctor Myers’s eyes as Ozzy vomited. She laid a wet cloth across the back of Ozzy’s neck and pulled a syringe out of her pocket.

“I have some ondansetron,” she said.

Ozzy nodded. “Four milligrams should do.”

She smiled as she pulled the cap off the needle with her teeth, then inserted it into the IV. “Yes, Doctor,” she said.

“Sorry,” Ozzy whispered.

Rick frowned. “Is that pain medicine?”

She shook her head as she capped the needle. “Anti-nausea.”

“You have to give him something.”

Ozzy reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Cap, please. Let me be in charge of this.” He paused, then let out a breath. “That’s better already.”

Doctor Myers took the cloth from around his neck and wiped his face with it. She placed it back on his neck, then knelt and cupped his cheeks with her hands. “You may have to make a hard decision.”

“If I can get to the embassy, they’ll have options that are non-opioid.”

“I wish I had a spinal block.”

“I couldn’t travel with it anyway.”

“True.” She straightened. “It’s going to be a hard ride.”

Ozzy nodded. “Let’s get it started, then. Sooner we go, sooner we’re there.”

Cynthia climbed into the back of the truck and crouched near Sergeant Sanders. She put her face close to his and observed the indicators of pain in the tightness around his mouth and the sweat beading on his brow. “How are we doing after the jostling and loading you into the truck?”

“No offense, but next time my chest gets cracked open, I’m going to demand better service.”